BYU - ESPN Deal Completed

ESPN AND BYU ANNOUNCE NEW MEDIA RIGHTS AGREEMENT

Brigham Young University and ESPN, Inc. today announced a new seven-year media rights agreement for BYU home football games that will continue their longstanding relationship through the 2026 college football season.



In addition to the home television rights agreement, BYU and ESPN Events—a division of ESPN—have also reached agreement for the Cougars to participate in ESPN owned and operated bowl games in 2020, 2022 and 2024. Under a separate agreement, the Cougars are also slated to appear in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 2021, 2023 and 2025.



Details of the seven-year media rights agreement



Under the new regular-season media rights agreement, ESPN will continue to televise nationally a minimum of four BYU home football games each season. A minimum of three games will be carried on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2, while additional games can air on the three same networks or ESPNU. As part of the agreement, at least one game each season will be carried live on BYUtv. All games will be available to stream on the ESPN App.







Details of the new bowl agreements



The new bowl agreement with ESPN Events provides a bowl tie-in for BYU in 2020, 2022 and 2024 if the Cougars are bowl eligible and not selected to participate in a New Year’s Six bowl. Since 2011, the Cougars have played in four of the 16 bowls owned and operated by ESPN Events, including the 2018 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, 2015 Las Vegas Bowl, 2014 Miami Beach Bowl (now Frisco Bowl) and 2011 Armed Forces Bowl.



Under the terms of the new Independence Bowl agreement, the Cougars are slated to appear in Shreveport in 2021 and 2025 versus an opponent from Conference USA and in 2023 versus a team from the Pac-12. The Independence Bowl, televised on an ESPN Network, is the 11th-oldest bowl game in the country and will play its 45th edition in 2020. It was founded in 1976 and is played annually in December at Independence Stadium in Shreveport.



As part of both BYU bowl agreements, the Cougars also have an option to potentially participate in the Cheez-It Bowl in Arizona should its conference tie-ins (Big Ten and Big 12) be unable to provide an opponent. If applicable, that option can be exercised in lieu of one Independence Bowl and one ESPN Events bowl game. The Cheez-It Bowl airs on an ESPN network.

BoiseBYU wrote:

So how much does ESPN pay BYU?

1967cougar wrote:

So how much does ESPN pay BYU?

Nothing. We will probably never qualify for any of these bowl slots.

1967cougar wrote:

BoiseBYU wrote:

So how much does ESPN pay BYU?

Nothing. We will probably never qualify for any of these bowl slots.

I'm sorry. I was obviously only referring to the bowl games, not the regular season.

snoscythe wrote:

So, on a standard six-game home schedule we are guaranteed:



3 games on ESPN, ESPN2, or ABC

1 game on ESPNU, ESPN, ESPN2, or ABC

1 game on "streaming" (i.e., ESPN+)

1 game on BYUtv



Any additional home games would only be guaranteed streaming/ESPN+

Fido wrote:

All games will be available to stream on the ESPN App. But be careful not to confuse streaming on the ESPN app with ESPN+. They are different things.

DesNews wrote:
Under the new deal, ESPN will televise a minimum of four BYU home games each season. At least three will be on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC. The fourth can be on ESPNU. All four will be available on the ESPN app. At least one game will be live on BYUtv.

snoscythe wrote:

All games will be available to stream on the ESPN App. But be careful not to confuse streaming on the ESPN app with ESPN+. They are different things.

Deseret News article clarifies that the only games to be on the app are the 4 games ESPN/ESPN2/ABC/ESPNU broadcast. Not all 6.

DesNews wrote:
Under the new deal, ESPN will televise a minimum of four BYU home games each season. At least three will be on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC. The fourth can be on ESPNU. All four will be available on the ESPN app. At least one game will be live on BYUtv.

I promise an ESPN+ game will be coming this Fall once ESPN picks their four telecast games--BYU's hiding the weenie here.

Fido wrote:

Fido wrote:

All games will be available to stream on the ESPN App. But be careful not to confuse streaming on the ESPN app with ESPN+. They are different things.

Deseret News article clarifies that the only games to be on the app are the 4 games ESPN/ESPN2/ABC/ESPNU broadcast. Not all 6.

DesNews wrote:
Under the new deal, ESPN will televise a minimum of four BYU home games each season. At least three will be on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC. The fourth can be on ESPNU. All four will be available on the ESPN app. At least one game will be live on BYUtv.

I promise an ESPN+ game will be coming this Fall once ESPN picks their four telecast games--BYU's hiding the weenie here.

Link to your Deseret News article? The article I see is below where Holmoe straight-up contradicts you?



https://www.deseret.com/sports/2020/1/30/21115386/byu-football-byu-espn-contract-byu-bowl-games-espn-events-independence-bowl-shreveport-louisiana



There were some fears among BYU faithful that some of the games would be put on ESPN’s pay subscription service, ESPN Plus. That won’t happen for home games, which are the only games the agreement entails, Holmoe said.

snoscythe wrote:

The link to the DesNews article is the blue text with the underline in my post above. The ESPN+ game is just some inside baseball I happen to know. BYU is just trying to spin this and will reveal an ESPN+ game later this fall as an "add-on".

Fido wrote:

This is what the Des News article says and I quote:

According to a BYU news release, Under the new deal, ESPN will televise a minimum of four BYU home games each season. At least three will be on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC. The fourth can be on ESPNU. All four will be available on the ESPN app. At least one game will be live on BYUtv.